Sunday, August 31, 2014

Gentleman's Agreement: 1947

When I read the back of the DVD case for Gentleman's Agreement, I knew I would find the film interesting, but I didn't realize just how much the film would speak to my own feelings about tolerance and speaking up for others. Gregory Peck stars as Skylar Green, a writer who is known for going undercover and experiencing the truth. His new assignment is to write a series on anti-Semitism, a serious issue in the United States at the time this film was released. After throwing around various angles and finding nothing that works, Green realizes that the only way he can write this series is to pose as Jewish man and experience anti-Semitism. Throughout the course of eight weeks, Green quickly realizes just how much anti-Semitism has infiltrated society.

Perhaps the most important discovery Green makes is that it's the people who do not stand up for what is wrong who make anti-Semitism and hatred in general stronger. Early in the film, Green falls in love with Kathy Lacy, a woman who proclaims to support Jewish people and wants to fight against anti-Semitism. Yet as their relationship progresses and they become engaged, Green begins to realize that Kathy may want things to change but doesn't actually do anything to incite change. When Green learns about Kathy's home in Connecticut, he suggests that she allow his friend Dave Goldman to rent it so that his family may move to New York when Dave has an amazing job offer. Kathy reveals that there is a "gentleman's agreement" (see the definition here) that prevents the people in this community from selling or leasing their homes to Jewish people. This underhanded and secretive means of keeping the community homogeneous infuriates Green, as it should. Kathy acts completely helpless, and at this point, I began to despise her as well. Kathy becomes the ultimate hypocrite. Sure, she hates hatred, but she's not really doing anything to stand up against it.

Kathy's hypocrisy becomes even more apparent in a scene towards the end when she meets with Dave. During their meeting, Kathy relates hearing a crude joke at a dinner party that makes her sick, and Dave asks her what she did about it. Kathy looks shocked. Of course, she didn't say anything, and that's what Dave points out to her is the real problem with hate. When people don't stand up, don't say anything, that's the real issue. It makes me think about how in the past in my classroom, when students have used the phrase "that's so gay" to describe something they didn't like, I began saying that I didn't appreciate them using that word in my presence. The word soon disappeared from their vocabulary at least in my classroom, and I like to think that I caused them to reconsider using that phrase. At the very least, I stood up for what I felt was right.
Dave and Kathy, filmfoodie.blogspot.com

The scene that upset me the most was when Green's son Tommy comes home and tells him about the boys on the playground calling him names for being Jewish. Tommy has experienced hatred for the first time in his life, and Green must try to comfort his son while explaining hatred. It's a heart-wrenching scene, especially after seeing their father-son relationship grow up to this point. Tommy seems so happy-go-lucky, but as Green's friend Dave points out, it's when they get the kids that it hurts the most.

  
Tommy and Skylar Green, source: www.french-movies.net

In a time when hatred is still an issue in our society, Gentleman's Agreement is a must-see film for everyone. After seeing it, I now believe even more in the power of one person standing up and saying "that's enough." If we each did, then the impact would be multiple, and perhaps we would have less hate in our world: a goal worth reaching.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

The Best Years of Our Lives: 1946

Although I've seen and heard several stories of returning Vietnam War veterans, I didn't know much about World War II veterans other than what is taught in high school history (the baby boom, the development of suburbs, women returning to the homes, etc.). The Best Years of Our Lives shows that the returning veterans faced many of the same issues as the returning Vietnam veterans. The film follows three veterans as they adjust to civilian life, and each man has a similar yet different experience.

Homer, the youngest of the the three veterans, lost both his hands during a battle. As a sailor, he explains that he didn't see much combat, but his battleship sunk and his hands were burned beyond repair. Homer has actual hooks in place of his hands, and while he's quite capable with them, other people cannot help but stare at him, as if he is a freak. Returning home, he must deal with his family's pity and figure out how to be with his girl.

Al is the oldest of the veterans, and when he returns, he has to reacquaint himself with his children, who are two years older. To cope with the shift back to civilian life, Al begins drinking, and his wife Millie struggles with helping him adjust. To complicate matters, his daughter has fallen in love with Fred Derry, the third veteran.

Fred's story is not atypical of the time; before he left for the war, he met a girl and married her after only knowing her 20 days. When Fred returns, Marie is not living where he thought she would be. He also learns that she has taken a job at a night club. Marie is clearly interested in having fun, and Fred wants to settle down in a home and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that these two people are not in love. Even worse, they don't even like each other.

Weaving their stories together, the film follows each man as he tries to find his place. Fred struggles with finding decent work, ending up in a low paying job at the drug store where he worked before the war. Al receives a promotion but doesn't like how his bank runs its business. Homer wants everyone to treat him like he's normal, but he has his own hang ups to get over. The film does an excellent job simply telling each man's story. At no point did I feel like I was being pushed to feel sorry for any of them. Instead, I wanted to know how each man would finally learn to cope and possibly even feel "normal" again.

Ultimately, the film has a happy ending while still being realistic. My only complaint about the film is the length (2 hours 40 minutes), but having finally finished it, I'm not sure there is much that could be cut without the film seeming incomplete.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

The Lost Weekend: 1945

The Lost Weekend teaches a lesson without being preachy or condescending. In the film, the protagonist, Don Birnam, is an alcoholic. And it isn't pretty. Don is a desperate man, stealing from his brother just to get more booze. He drinks to run away from his life. Don sees himself as a complete failure; he's a writer who published a short story in college and decided to drop out and pursue writing full time in New York City. Instead, he's turned into a drunk who lives off his brother's good will. When his brother has had enough and tries to force Don to sober up, the results are disastrous. Don can't think about anything other than his precious rye whiskey, and when his brother leaves for a long weekend in the country, Don steals the money for the cleaning lady and goes on a drinking binge (I learned that at this time, $10 could buy a lot of cheap whiskey).

As Don spirals out of control and wreaks havoc on his body, the woman he loves waits desperately for him outside his apartment door. It's the few scenes when we see her that we begin to understand how alcoholism affects more than just the alcoholic. She doesn't want to love him, but she does. And it is her pain and misery that make Don's seeming lack of care for anything but booze all the more horrific. Clearly, this woman would do anything for him, but that doesn't matter to Don.

What impressed me in this film was just how real it all seemed. Throughout the weekend, Don progressively looks worse. The make-up and costumes reflect a man who hasn't bathed and hasn't consumed anything but liquor. His skins grows pale and damp with sweat covering his face. Ray Milland, who played Don, captures the shaking hands and unsteady gait common for alcoholics, and his outlook sways from supremely optimistic when he begins drinking to the absolutes depths of hell when the bottle is empty.

I wouldn't say this is a film I would see again. But it's definitely a film that is starkly real and presents an ugly side to our society. For that reason, it's film that deserves to watched at least once, to gain that understanding of what alcoholism does to people.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Going My Way: 1944

Bing Crosby stars in Going My Way as a priest who is sent to St. Dominic's Cathedral to save the church from sinking under its financial burdens. With Crosby starring, the film naturally includes multiple musical numbers in which Crosby croons to the audience and woos the ladies, even as a priest. The film is best described as heartwarming (t's the first Best Picture of this blog to make me cry a little at the end, but I won't tell you why).

Crosby's Father O'Malley is a young priest who is described by the elderly Father Fitzgibbon (played by Barry Fitzgerald, who won an Oscar for supporting actor for this role) as "progressive". The contrast is stark between the priests: Father Fitzgibbon isn't curmudgeonly but he's close. He's very old school and very Irish. At times, his Irish brogue makes him difficult to understand. As the story progresses, however, Father Fitzgibbon seems to become younger under the influence of Father O'Malley, and the two men become friends.

It's not surprising that this film won Best Picture in 1944. With World War II raging, audiences needed a story unrelated to the war that would make them feel good about people, and this film does exactly that. It's easy to escape into New York City and the woes of St. Dominic's. There is a brief reference to the war when one character says goodbye to his wife before he reports for duty, but other than that, it's almost as if the war doesn't exist. Instead, the worst conflict is between Mrs. Quimp and all her neighbors and landlord. Mrs. Quimp is the self-righteous Catholic who even seems to try Father Fitzgibbon's patience, and her ridiculous claims lends humor to the film, as do the boys who Father O'Malley forms into a successful choir.

Simply put, this film will make you happy. And sometimes, that's what we need. It's nice to see that the Academy recognizes films like this.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Casablanca: 1943

Of the films I've watched so far, this is the first one that I had seen before, so my experience with Casablanca was a bit different as this was a rewatching of a film I hadn't seen in years. Casablanca is essentially a love story set in Morocco, an unoccupied French territory in World War II. The film is about Rick (Humphrey Bogart) giving up the woman he loves (Ingrid Bergman) for the cause of the resistance movement in Europe. Their story includes a flashback where you realize just how much these two people do love each other, which makes the ending all the more tragic when Rick lets Elsa get on the plane with another man (I don't think I'm spoiling anything here...this is a classic scene):


Seeing the film again, I better understood the dense story. While yes, it is a romance, there are several other storylines at work in the film, one of the resistance and one of the French authorities dealing with German "visitors." I know the first time I watched Casablanca, I didn't fully understand why it was so necessary for Victor Lazlo to leave Casablanca and get to the United States, but in the watching, I already knew the basic love story, so I could focus more on the other parts of the film and follow the dense dialogue. Like other films, I think Casablanca requires two viewings to be fully appreciated.

What struck me in the film was the use of lighting. The film is black and white, but at times, the lighting seems very soft, in scenes in Rick's bar when he sees Elsa or when the couple is together. At other times, the lighting is harsh, when the Germans are present and conflict arises. The softness and harshness of the lighting switch seamlessly as each scene changes, but the effect is powerful: the audience's emotions change with the lighting. When the light is soft, it's one of those nostalgic or "awww" moments and the audience feels those emotions, and when the light is harsh, the audience feels uncomfortable just as the characters do. The subtle changes in lighting play on our emotions and engage us further with the characters.

With this blog, I may not rewatch all the films I've seen before, but Casablanca is a case where I'm really glad I did. 

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Mrs. Miniver: 1942

Set in World War II England, Mrs. Miniver reveals what it was like living in England during the first year of the war. Mrs. Miniver, the title character, lives in a quaint village outside of London, and her husband is a well-to-do architect. Part of the middle class, the family enjoys a comfortable lifestyle that includes a couple maids and an education at Oxford for their oldest son. The first half hour or so of the film creates this idyllic image of living the perfect life, but then Poland is attacked and Britain must defend its ally. The Miniver's seemingly blissful existence disappears as air raids and fear take over their village.

I've always enjoyed stories about regular people set during World War II, and Mrs. Miniver is no exception. The characters are truly likable, especially Mrs. Miniver herself. She is kind to everyone, even the arrogant Lady Beldon, and she is brave when faced with losing both her son and husband to the war. It's no wonder the film was so incredibly popular when it was released; this is who we want to be in a time of crisis.

The most startling scene for me was when the family is hiding in their bomb shelter during an attack. The shelter is outside their home and consists of a low metal shack covered and surrounded by sand bags. As the attack intensifies, the family hears bombs being dropped closer and closer, causing their shelter and even the ground to shake violently. The children end up in their parents' arms, and it's a moment when you have to wonder if you could remain as calm as these parents are in a time of such danger. This scene, more than the others, really made me understand what it was like to be in Britain during the bombings of WWII. The next day, the family discovers that their home has had some significant damage: they no longer have a dining room. But the father tells his oldest son that he never really liked the dining room anyway, and the mother points out that the upstairs is perfectly fine. Instead of being upset or sad or angry, the Minivers persevere.

Perhaps the main purpose of the film wasn't so much to show what living in Britain was like at this time but to show the world that the British and their allies were not giving up, no matter the losses they encountered. This is a definite must-see to view another aspect of WWII not often covered.